Chaining/slaving several identical combo amps

[tragicmagic]

If I were going to plug in 4 Rumbles, I'd use a Radial Twin-City ABY pedal to go to two amps and then daisy chain each to two more amps. That would actually work well and hopefully, it answers your question.

Beware, the Radial Twin City is an active ABY with a frequency response that is "tailored for guitar" according to the published specs - I have messaged Radial before when I was considering it for my use and they said that they don't recommend it for bass because the signal will have noticeable low end loss.

 

[basscooker]

What do you have ON HAND now? For this proposed rig?

 

[H K]

What do you have ON HAND now? For this proposed rig?

Nothing. The idea is to get rid of a few of my stacks and use this instead. 4 rumbles/combos could potentially replace the many different ones I use. Thing is that I play around a lot of with placements, effects, bi amping, stereo etc etc. For example I've got 2 amps + cabs dedicated to a leslie/stereo setup. Plus the main amp at the back. That's 3 amps I dont really have any use for outside of that 1 configuration (which is ridiculously fun).

With the rumbles, 3 of them could function for that setup, but also be useable in a standard 2 stack stereo setup, or a 4-combo WALL configuration. And that's just one example. With this setup I could potentially get rid of atleast; a 810, 410 and 115, 2 separate 210s, 4 heads, and maybe 2 112's.
And you know, I'd rather move 4 20kg combos than 1 80kg one

 

[basscooker]

Well, as mentioned a 1:2 small signal splitter after bass, before pedals, and use that to run two master/ slave stacks.
Or a 1:4 and each amp gets its own signal with pedals of choice in front of each one.

It just seems like adding an awful lot of complexity to what a single 2 ohm stable amp and four 8 ohm cabs can accomplish; of course with fewer specific sounds per cab available. But would you have potentially 4 channels on the PA? You're dumping quite a bit of work to the FOH person with four different sends.

This grand scheme of a mega-complicated bass rig seems a bit presumptuous and ambitious. I hope you can find a way to make it work. I feel you'll be dealing with a lot of line noise, potential phase and ground loop headaches and massive stage wash your FOH has to battle against.

 

[G-Dog]

... ... ... It just seems like adding an awful lot of complexity to what a single 2 ohm stable amp and four 8 ohm cabs can accomplish; ... ... ... This grand scheme of a mega-complicated bass rig seems a bit presumptuous and ambitious. I hope you can find a way to make it work. ... ... ...

I could be wrong but, I don't think it's just a big 4 cab rig being sought after here, but a modular system that can go from a small venue 1-cab rig to an intermediate 2-cab rig to a big venue 4-cab rig. Amps & cabs to add when, and if, needed.

The new 2022 Fender Rumble 800 COMBO with 2x10" Neo speakers, not the 2018 Stage combo, would be perfect to build a 2-combo + 2-cab modular system. The combo has a Power Switch to run at either 400w continuous or 100w alone through its 2x10s. With the 8 ohm Rumble 210 cab it goes to 800w continuous or 200w through 4x10s. Then, two of those stacks gives you 400w, or 1,000w, or up to 1,600w through 8x10" speakers, depending on the two Power Switches, through 8x10" speakers. Very simple, very easy.
.

 

[FoxInSocks]

6 months isn't considered zombie, right?

I just happened to run across an old Roland super cube bass manual from the 80s the other day, which showed exactly this amp configuration. They designed them specifically to be used this way. Volume + tone at the master amp, and the rest are slaves, which means no need to fiddle with the secondary amps, and risk of sending things out of whack accidentally. I wish more combos had this option, tbh.

http://cdn.roland.com/assets/media/pdf/SCB-40_60_100_OM.pdf

 

[G-Dog]

6 months isn't considered zombie, right?

I just happened to run across an old Roland super cube bass manual from the 80s the other day, which showed exactly this amp configuration. They designed them specifically to be used this way. Volume + tone at the master amp, and the rest are slaves, which means no need to fiddle with the secondary amps, and risk of sending things out of whack accidentally. I wish more combos had this option, tbh.

http://cdn.roland.com/assets/media/pdf/SCB-40_60_100_OM.pdf

View attachment 5073160

Naw, FoxIe, 6 months ain't no thang. Thread's still open. So, I, for one, am glad to see your post.

MAN!!! Those stack jacks are really sumpin' else! And you left out some of the best parts! I'd be interested in seeing a diagram of how those work for all this.

Roland Super Cube Bass SCB-40 Operation Manual at ManualsLib.com​

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[Handy_Andy]

And you know, I'd rather move 4 20kg combos than 1 80kg one

THIS is the point.

 

[Short4since64]

Preamp/FX out on one amp Y-corded into poweramp/FX in on all the others. Controls on the slave combos are inactive. As long as the combos are identical, this is the simple solution. FX outs have a line driver circuit, so a large number of slaves is no problem. Even in the "old days" before FX loops this simple solution worked - played a large outdoor show with 3 70s SVT rigs tied together at the external amp jacks, controls on the two slaves set at zero,